I. Metshin about the growth of the tourist flow during the FIFA World Cup 2015

FIFA World Aquatics Championship came to an end, we still have to sum up the final results, to evaluate the work in all areas, but it is already clear that in the field of tourism we have completed all that was planned, and even more. We set high the bar – to receive 100 thousand tourists in view of the "Masters" competition. As a result, during the World Cup in water sports we received 120 thousand tourists, and with the "Masters" we expect a figure of 150-170 thousand visitors.

The occupancy rate of hotels in the days of the championship was about 90-95%. In the days of the opening ceremony and the Congress of Local Authorities of Eurasia hotels occupancy reached 100%! This means that we go well ahead the increase in tourist flow and we are not going to stop there!

We hope that Kazan remembered to all the guests of the championship - participants, visitors, volunteers, sport fans, and they will have a desire to tell about our city, to come to us again with friends and families. But even more we hope on the attention of TV viewers, that was about 4 billion people according to preliminary estimates. Even at very conservative estimates, if, for example, 5% of the total television audience will become interested in our city and will think about a trip to Kazan in the next 5 years, this will be 200 million people. That are impressive numbers, for which, of course, this competition was cost to be carried out!

Our calculations are based on the successful practice of other cities - Barcelona for example, that today is closer to the figure of 12 million tourists per year. Until 1992, before the Olympic Games, that is 20 years ago, they did not have even a million of tourists! So I think the main records in the tourism sector are ahead for us! After all, we have something to show and we know how to surprise and conquer hearts of even the most experienced travelers!